दौर्वासिकं व्योमतीर्थं चंद्रतीर्थं युधिष्ठिर । चिंतांगदेश्वरं तीर्थं पुण्यं विद्याधरेश्वरम्
Daurvasika, Vyoma ford, and Chandra ford, O Yudhishthira; the sacred Chintangadeshvara ford, and Vidyadhara Ishvara.
केदारतीर्थमुग्राख्यं कालंजरमनुत्तमम् । सारस्वतं प्रभासं च रुद्रकर्णह्रदं शुभम्
The Ugra-named Kedar ford, the unsurpassed Kalanjara; Sarasvata, Prabhasa, and the auspicious Rudrakarna lake.
कोकिलाख्यं महातीर्थं तीर्थं चैव महालयम् । हिरण्यगर्भं गोप्रेक्षं तीर्थं चैवमनुत्तमम्
The great Kokila-named ford, and the Mahalaya ford; Hiranyagarbha, Gopreksha, and likewise the unsurpassed ford.
उपशांतं शिवं चैव व्याघ्रेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । त्रिलोचनं महातीर्थं लोकार्कं चोत्तराह्वयम्
Upashanta, Shiva, and the unsurpassed Vyaghreshvara; the great Trilochana ford, and Lokarka, called Uttara.
कपालमोचनं तीर्थं ब्रह्महत्याविनाशनम् । शुक्रेश्वरं महापुण्यमानंदपुरमुत्तमम्
Kapalamocana ford, which destroys the sin of killing a Brahmin; the supremely meritorious Shukreshvara, and the excellent Anandapura.
एवमादीनि तीर्थानि वाराणस्यां स्थितानि वै । न शक्यं विस्तराद्वक्तुं कल्पकोटिशतैरपि
Such are the fords established in Varanasi; they cannot be described in detail even in hundreds of millions of aeons.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे स्वर्गखंडे वाराणसीमाहात्म्ये सप्तत्रिंशोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the thirty-seventh chapter in the section on the greatness of Varanasi, in the Svarga-khanda of the glorious Padma Mahapurana.
नारद उवाच- वाराणस्याश्च माहात्म्यं तस्यां तीर्थानि च प्रभो । कथितानि समासेन तीर्थान्यन्यानि संशृणु
Narada said: O Lord, the greatness of Varanasi and its fords have been told in brief; now hear of other fords.
ततो गयां समासाद्य ब्रह्मचारी समाहितः । अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति गमनादेव भारत
Then, reaching Gaya, the devoted celibate attains the fruit of an Ashvamedha merely by going there, O Bharata.
यत्राक्षय्यवटो नाम त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतः । पितॄणां तत्र वै दत्तमक्षयं भवति प्रभो
There is the imperishable banyan, renowned in the three worlds; whatever is offered there to the ancestors, O Lord, becomes inexhaustible.
महानद्यामुपस्पृश्य तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । अक्षयान्प्राप्नुयाल्लोकान्कुलं चैव समुद्धरेत्
After bathing in the great river, one should offer oblations to the ancestors and deities; he attains imperishable worlds and uplifts his lineage.
ततो ब्रह्मसरो गच्छेद्ब्रह्मारण्योपसेवितम् । पुंडरीकमवाप्नोति प्रभातमिव शर्वरी
Then he should go to Brahmasara, frequented by ascetics, and attains the lotus, as night yields to the morning.
सरसि ब्रह्मणा तत्र यूपश्रेष्ठः समुच्छ्रितः । यूपं प्रदक्षिणं कृत्वा वाजपेयफलं लभेत्
There, in the lake of Brahma, stands a most excellent sacrificial post; by circumambulating it, one obtains the fruit of a Vājapeya sacrifice.
ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र धेनुकं लोकविश्रुतम् । एकारात्रोषितो राजन्प्रयच्छेत्तिलधेनुकाम्
Then, O king, he should proceed to Dhenuka, renowned among people; having stayed there for one night, O king, he should offer a sesame cow.
सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा सोमलोकं व्रजेद्ध्रुवम् । तत्र चिह्नं महाराज अद्यापि हि न संशयः
With his mind purified from all sins, he surely attains the world of Soma; even today, O great king, there is no doubt about this sign.
कपिला सहवत्सा वै पर्वते विचरत्युतः । सवत्सायाः पदान्यस्या दृश्यंतेऽद्यापि भारत
A tawny cow with her calf indeed roams on the mountain; even today, O descendant of Bharata, the footprints of that cow with her calf are seen.
तेषूपस्पृश्य राजेंद्र पदेषु नृपसत्तम । यत्किंचिदशुभं पापं तत्प्रणश्यति भारत
By bathing at those footprints, O best of kings, whatever inauspicious or sinful act there may be, that is destroyed, O descendant of Bharata.
ततो गृध्रवटं गच्छेत्स्थानं देवस्य शूलिनः । स्नायात्तु भस्मना तत्र संगम्य वृषभध्वजम्
Then he should go to Gṛdhravaṭa, the place of the trident-bearing god; there, after bathing with ashes, he should worship the bull-bannered one.
ब्राह्मणेन भवेच्चीर्णं व्रतं द्वादशवार्षिकम् । इतरेषां तु वर्णानां सर्वपापं प्रणश्यति
If a Brāhmaṇa has observed the twelve-year vow there, it is fulfilled; for others of the classes, all sins are destroyed.
गच्छेत तत उद्यंतं पर्वतं गीतनादितम् । सावित्रं तु पदं तत्र दृश्यते भरतर्षभ
Then he should go to the rising mountain, resounding with song; there, O best of Bharatas, the Sāvitra step is seen.
तत्र संध्यामुपासीत ब्राह्मणः संशितव्रतः । उपास्ताहि भवेत्संध्या तेन द्वादशवार्षिकी
There, a Brāhmaṇa of firm vows should perform the twilight worship; by performing that twilight worship, the twelve-year vow is accomplished.
योनिद्वारं च तत्रैव विश्रुतं भरतर्षभ । तत्राभिगम्य मुच्येत पुरुषो योनिसंकटात्
There also is the renowned Yoni-gate, O best of Bharatas; by approaching there, a man is freed from the distress of the womb.
शुक्लकृष्णावुभौ पक्षौ गयायां यो वसेन्नरः । पुनात्यासप्तमं राजन्कुलं नास्त्यत्र संशयः
Whoever dwells at Gayā during both the bright and dark fortnights, O king, purifies his lineage up to the seventh generation—there is no doubt in this.
एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्रा यद्यप्येको गयां व्रजेत् । यजेत वाश्वमेधेन नीलं वा वृषमुत्सृजेत्
Many sons should be desired, yet even if only one goes to Gayā, or performs an Aśvamedha, or releases a blue bull, the rite is fulfilled.
ततः फल्गुं व्रजेद्राजंस्तीर्थसेवी नराधिप । अश्वमेधमवाप्नोति सिद्धिं च परमां व्रजेत्
Then, O king, the devotee of holy places should go to the Phalgu; he attains the fruit of the Aśvamedha and reaches the highest accomplishment.
ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र धर्मपृष्ठं समाहितः । यत्र धर्मो महाराज नित्यमास्ते युधिष्ठिर
Then, O king, with concentrated mind, he should go to Dharmapṛṣṭha, where Dharma, O great king, always abides, O Yudhiṣṭhira.
धर्म्मं तत्राभिसंगम्य वाजिमेधफलं लभेत् । ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र ब्रह्मणस्तीर्थमुत्तमम्
By approaching Dharma there, one obtains the fruit of the Vājimedha sacrifice; then, O king, he should go to the supreme ford of Brahmā.
तत्राभिगम्य ब्रह्माणमर्चयेन्नियतव्रतः । राजसूयाश्वमेधाभ्यां फलं प्राप्नोति भारत
There, having approached Brahmā, he should worship with firm vows; he attains the fruit of both the Rājasūya and Aśvamedha sacrifices, O descendant of Bharata.
ततो राजगृहं गच्छेत्तीर्थसेवी नराधिप । उपस्पृश्य ततस्तत्र कक्षीवानिव मोदते
Then, the king who serves the sacred fords should go to the royal city; after purifying himself there, he rejoices like one who has cast off his soiled garment.
यक्षिण्या नैत्यकं तत्र प्रागग्निपुरुषः शुचिः । यक्षिण्यास्तु प्रसादेन मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया
There, by the favor of the yakṣiṇī, a pure man who daily offers oblations to the fire is freed from the sin of killing a Brahmin.